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Jeremy Smith is back and ready to compete

Oklahoma State running back Jeremy Smith suffered a season-ending injury last year, and it was rumored that he thought about leaving the team in the spring. Smith says those times are "ancient history."

STILLWATER — For a while there in Stillwater, the buzz surrounding Cowboys running back Jeremy Smith went something along the lines of, "We hardly knew 'ya!"

OSU's Jeremy Smith, right, had a dynamic game against Grambling last season before suffering a season-ending injury. PHOTO BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN

Smith's freshman season featured a dazzling — if brief — breakout, with a 160-yard rushing performance against Grambling that featured a 69-yard romp that tied for Oklahoma State's longest play from scrimmage.

Then things spiraled downward, first with Smith suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in practice just days after the Grambling game, then when the running back missed several spring practices while reportedly contemplating his future with the team.

"Ancient history," Smith said Sunday.

And thus, reintroductions are in order as Smith attempts to position himself as the backup for now and OSU's back of the future.

Kendall Hunter stands as the Cowboys' most dynamic proven player and will command the bulk of the backfield touches on offense, whether as a runner or a receiver.

Still, Hunter will need help. And he's a senior, meaning whoever produces as the understudy — Smith, sophomore Travis Miller or freshman Joseph Randle — could gain an edge in becoming the feature back for 2011.

"I'm ready for the season to start," Smith said.

As for last season, particularly his spring fling flirtation with leaving the team, that's a topic Smith would just as soon forget.

"That was just something that happened," Smith said. "That's a long time ago. I'm back, and I'm ready to play.

"Last year was last year. This is this year. That's basically what I'm really focusing on."

Not that Smith would be the first freshman to ever endure some second guessing about his future. It's been going on in athletic programs — and general student populations — for ages.